Leyla Salmassian Bell, PhD, LMFT, ATR, RSMT/E

Sitting with our feelings
  “Depression is like a woman in black. If she turns up, don’t shoo her away. Invite her in, offer her a seat, treat her like a guest and listen to what she wants to say” says Carl G. Jung. This reminds me of Rumi’s poem,...
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Shame and Guilt– A Way Into Our Worlds
The Shame and guilt experiences we have can open us to life! They can expand our field of feeling-experiences and stimulate our growth. This is what doing the work of depth psychotherapy can bring you: the exploration of how do we take these...
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The Turtle and the Mud
  Chuang Tzu with his bamboo pole was fishing in the Pu river. The prince of Chu sent two vice-chancellors with a formal document: “We hereby appoint you prime minister.” Chuang Tzu held his bamboo pole still. Watching the Pu...
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Partnering With Our Feelings
  Engaging in the work of Analytical / Depth psychotherapy is so incredibly relevant in these times when we are besieged by emotions, reactivity, altered truth and realities; where finding our grounds takes longer…. In this work we...
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Embodying the Metaphor of a Tree
    Outside my living room window lives a tall tree with thick and thin branches, limb-like, arms wide open and expanded, greeting and welcoming every day and seasons. Dressed with tiny, soft, delicate leaves, the tree cues its presence...
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The Courage to Begin
The word “psychology” comes from the Greek words “psyche” meaning soul and, “logia” meaning speech or word. Another root definition of the word is ‘the care of the soul’. The decision to begin the psychological work of self-inquiry...
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Meaning Making and Creative Expressive Arts
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Recent Posts

Sitting with our feelings
Shame and Guilt– A Way Into Our Worlds
The Turtle and the Mud
Partnering With Our Feelings
Embodying the Metaphor of a Tree
The Courage to Begin
Meaning Making and Creative Expressive Arts